The Nautilus
The Nautilus is a peculiar temple-like building at the eastern point of Port Brogan. The name may originate from the unique shell of the cephalapod family of the same name. It is, on the outside, a temple of Pelor. On the inside, it shows many of the characteristics unique to a building made by Xenteroth. According to local legend, it received its name from the Paladin of the Rusted Feather who built it. There were also zombies. Layout Inscribed on the door in Common: “Cuthbert has fallen. Nerull will rule all men.” The last two words are backwards. The first room is 40 x 40 ft., and contains a modified organ. The organ has thirteen keys of equal size, with seven silver stones set above the organ as if holding sheet music. Pressing the keys in the order of Xenteroth's Number disarms the trap and moves the organ aside, revealing a door into the next room. There is also an altar in the first room, with a pattern of 13 X 8 spirals on the altar: 13 long, 8 on the short. There is a 15 ft. deep pool of water in the center of the room. There is a chest at the bottom of this water, and the words sinful reordering are inscribed in the pool wall over the chest. The second room is 25 x 25 ft., with living quarters, a mirror, 5 tapestries, and Xenteroth's Number written backwards on the far wall. There is smoke damage behind the second and third tapestries. The mirror distorts the viewer, giving a big eyes and head and small everything else. Looking at it through a mirror reveals a wooden door. There is a bump in the mirror where the doorknob would be. Tapestries: *Xenteroth's Tower, intact. *A disgruntled male paladin in armor of the style worn ca. 1340 SA with a glowing scimitar over his head, delivering a deathblow to a mind flayer. The paladin is wearing an ankh, which is a symbol of Obad-Hai that is no longer used. *The paladin, head down, walking away from the ruined Xenteroth's Tower. The sword is smaller in this tapestry than in the second one. *The paladin is surrounded by royals of an unspecified culture, all praying to the ankh. *The paladin handing down his sword, giving it to the “next panel.” The next room is 15 x 15 ft., and is filled with corpses. To the right of the entrance, there was a small shelf with a pedestal on it. There was a gold ankh on the pedestal. There is a secret door under the shelf, and the key is behind the pedestal. When the door is opened, the corpses reanimate and attack. The next room is 10 x 10 ft., and is filled with shelves containing shells. The shells are mostly of snails. There is one simple wooden door on the right wall. One snail shell is magical and contains 13 small glass beads of different colors: 1 purple, 1 orange, 3 green, 8 blue. The door is unlocked and opens easily. The next room is 5 x 5 ft., has a steel door on the right, and contains a small fountain with no water directly opposite the entrance. There are four equidistant bead-sized holes on the steel door in the shape of a square. There is a 1" x 1" drainage hole at bottom of the fountain. The door is unlocked by inserting beads thus: blue top L, green top R, orange bottom R, purple bottom L. The next room is also 5 x 5 ft. It is empty but for a small golden plaque, which has an inscription in Common: :You shall find among my possessions the victory :Sword of shalim, once under the control of the lich :Xenteroth, slain by water, fire, earth and air. It :Will be mine forever. The Party's Adventures :See main article: Episode Three: You Spin Me Right Round, Baby The ogre clan from Juniper Mine initially owned the land. They traded it to the mayor of Port Brogan in exchange for the Sword of Saleem. When he did not produce the Sword, the Toggenburg Corporation got involved and decided to explore it for themselves. Traps *In order to advance past the first room, one must input the correct series of notes on an organ or be shocked. *Zombies will animate and attack anyone trying to progress further than the third room. *The chest of fabulous treasure was, of course, cursed as all hell. Major Items These were all found in the underwater chest. *The Sword of Saleem: +2 and +2 again against aberrations *Ring of Armor (+2) *Miser’s Ring: +5 to any check involving protecting an item from destruction Involvement of Xenteroth Xenteroth was High Regent of Xenteroth's Tower on the Southern Continent, but the party has seen evidence that he spent some time around the Northern Continent as well. The Nautilus was the first instance of this evidence. The organ puzzle was solved by application of Xenteroth's Number and the room sizes decreased in proportion to Xenteroth's Number. The tapestries in front of one of the doors depicted the fall of Xenteroth. The chest at the bottom of the pool of water indicated that the Ruins of Eldergrin were somehow important, and Xenteroth had quietly co-opted the Ruins for his own needs. Lastly, Saleem is the southern name of Obad-Hai, and Xenteroth was originally from the Southern Continent. However, there is no record of Xenteroth or any of his followers being personally involved in the construction of The Nautilus. Category:Locations Category:Dungeons Category:Northern Continent